Nobody is perfect, I guess
by Jumaolster
Summary: another idea, post Internal Affairs. Slightly shippy, EN. Hope you like it!


Title: Nobody is perfect, I guess

Rating: K

Pairing: Natalia / Eric

Other: post Internal Affairs, another take on what happens next

Natalia was working alone in the DNA lab. She was filling in for Maxine, who was taking some days off to recover from the shock of being attacked by Nick and put in prison with Natalia. Horatio had asked Natalia is she wanted some days too, but she'd declined, saying that she'd take the days later on to organise Nick's funeral with his mom, and clean his apartment out.

Unfortunately, Eric had heard them talking, and had practically scoffed at her. She was confused over the entire situation, and her deep sorrow over loosing Nick wasn't easy to hide in the first place. Eric's disapproval made it even more difficult.

At least these days before Nicks body was released from the morgue were filled to the rim with work, since she was doing her own and also Maxine's. That was a good excuse not to go down alone to have lunch, she just had a sandwich in the lab while working.

This morning she'd seen Eric in the locker room briefly, she'd just said Hi as friendly as possible and had gotten out of there.

She just felt like seeing no one. No one could understand how she could mourn an abusive bastard like Nick, and even less why she'd been to bed with him again after what he'd done to her.

Actually she wasn't very clear on the why herself, she'd just missed the good times so much. And she was lonely. She hadn't been dating since she went out with Eric, and although she loved her sisters dearly, they were both very much younger than herself. She was more of a second mother figure than someone they wanted to hang out with, and she always went to bed early anyway.

Natalia straightened up and growled at herself. Her neck was stiff from staring down the microscope for so long, and her shoulders ached. And on top of it all, her stomach growled, and she was so sick and tired of sandwiches, she just wanted to skip lunch altogether.

She sat down and massaged her neck.

Suddenly she heard the lab door open behind her and swung around in the chair, only to nearly bump into Eric.

Eric was carrying a cafeteria tray, and nearly dropped it all in her lap, but a nice save from her side made then stand on both sides of the tray, her hands over his.

He smiled at her:

"Whoooooha there. I knew you'd be glad to see me with a tray full of food, but to actually jump into my arms……" He was clearly flirting, and Natalia smiled at him tentatively.

Maybe he wasn't so angry after all.

Her tummy chose that exact moment to make itself heared, and Eric started laughing out loud.

"We'd better get you some food, before you eat the lab table!"

He was doing his best to lighten up the mood.

He knew his temper had gotten the better of him yet again. He'd just wanted to see Natalia overcome Nick, he'd been genuinely disappointed when he heard they were still intimate.

That stupid Jake guy had made sure everyone knew about it, and when H heard about it, he'd grown dangerously calm. Jake had made an enemy that day.

Not even Calleigh had been defending Jake. And yesterday Ryan, who could be painfully blunt, had really stepped in it.

"What's wrong with this Jake guy? Soon he'll be telling us about his escapades with Calleigh! What ever happened to chivalry and keeping your love life discreet?"

Eric had answered:

"If he tries to talk about any one of the girls in the lab again, I'll take care of him personally!"

None of the boys had noticed Calleigh standing around the corner and listening to them. She'd been seriously furious with Jake for how he'd treated Natalia, but at the same time, she felt very attracted to him. She'd have another very serious talk with him that evening.

They hadn't even hooked up yet, and people were already gossiping about her love life. She hated it when people did that, and knew how awful Natalia was feeling at the moment.

In the lab, Eric had put the food tray down. He'd brought two bowls of cream of mushroom soup, with bread and two bottles of water. He'd seen Natalia grow paler and paler during the last couple of days, and talking to no one. He'd felt very guilty about talking to Jake about here, but there really hadn't been anything he could do but telling the truth.

He said:

"If you're still hungry after this, I'll take you down to the break room, I've put some ice cream in the freezer."

"Just as long as Ryan doesn't get to the ice cream first." She smiled at him, and they both giggled. Ryan loved ice cream.

"Or else we'll just invite him to have ice cream with us."

They both pulled up chairs to the table, moved the lab samples and sat down to have lunch.

"I hope no one sees us, because with my current standing, I'll get arrested for eating in lab or something." Natalia said sadly, but when Eric grinned at her she smiled back.

"Don't worry, I'll just say it's my fault."

"OH my God, this is goooooooooood. I'm so sick and tired of sandwiches, like you wouldn't believe, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" She was enjoying the food, and he looked at her fascinatedly. God, she was gorgeous.

A small drop of soup splashed up when she put her spoon down, and finished on the side of her cheek. He stared at her while she cleaned it with her index finger and then licked it.

Natalia looked up at Eric, who'd grown all quiet, and blushed embarrassed by his stare.

Eric caught himself staring and concentrated on his soup. She was right, it was good. They ate in silence, and when she put her spoon down, they looked at each other.

"Listen, Eric…"

"Listen, Natalia…."

They both halted, and started laughing.

"Ladies first, Nat!" Eric grinned at her. She loved that smile.

Suddenly she didn't know what to say, and fiddled with her labcoat.

"Well, I guess I wanted to say I'm sorry." Natalia stared down at the table, suddenly feeling miserable again.

"Why do you apologise? It's not like you've killed someone. OH God, that came out wrong, I'm sorry Nat!"

She nodded, she understood. She started:

"I mean, I've made a mess yet again. I should have stopped Maxine from dating Nick, I should have forced her to see how dangerous he his, I knew she wouldn't be able to handle him when he gets all aggressive.

I should maybe have told the truth right away about seeing Maxine at Nick's place, and I shouldn't have taken the hummer when I heard that Nick was dead. I guess I should have gone to see Horatio and confess all right away, but I was hoping no one would find out about me and Nick.

I've been so lonely since you broke up with me, and I was angry with you for the locker room talk, and Nick was being so nice to me, and made me remember all the good times. He promised he'd changed and even if I really didn't believe him, I so wanted to.

We'd been to dinner and lunch a couple of times, and he seemed to be very calm and kind, I thought maybe the anger management classes I've organised for him were paying off, and then he even drove he home once, and just nicely brought me to the door without even being an ass about anything.

And last week on our anniversary he brought me flowers, yellow tulips, my favorite, and a present, and then he just came to stay the night, because Anya was out with a friend. And we had a good time together, and when Nick asked me to come over to help with some financial matters, I just did because you know, he's still very special to me, and we'd been doing so well, and then one thing led to another and you know.

And now he'd dead, and I'm so angry at him for attacking Maxine, and getting us into trouble again, and basically lying to me yet again, and still I'm so sad."

Once she'd started she couldn't stop. It all just needed to get out, all her anger and sorrow weighing on her heart and shoulders these days just flowed out.

When she finished, she just looked at him, panting, with tears in her eyes.

She didn't even care what he thought of her anymore, she just wanted to be honest with herself and with him.

Eric got up. For a second, Natalia thought he was angered by what she'd told him and was about to leave, but instead he rushed around the table, and gave her a big hug.

He held her tightly to his chest and caressed her hair.

_She's been lonely since we broke up, he thought. Maybe I should ask her out to the luna park? Some silly fun and junk food would do us both good._

Natalia just let go and started crying, big deep sobs at first, and then when she started to calm down, she cried quietly into his shirt.

Then she took a deep breath:

"I've done a lot of crying lately, haven't I?"

"No, apparently no enough. You can come to me whenever you want you know. I'm sorry if I haven't been supportive.

I couldn't even come and see you when you where in holding, because Jake said to keep away from you and not to mess with the investigation. That guy has a scary way of getting people to say things they wished they'd kept quiet.

Calleigh had a huge fight with him yesterday, about him going off on a tangent about when you said you wished Nick dead. She apparently had told him that you were desperate because he was stalking you and being disrespectful and he just used it against you. What a total mess huh?"

Natalia got a handkerchief out and blew her nose.

Eric thought she looked real cute, eyes still a bit shiny and her nose a bit red from crying.

He smiled at her.

"We sooooooooo need an ice cream fix, huh? Let's go down to the break room and cheer in ice cream for a new life?"

He felt like they'd had to start over a kazillion times, but she always forgave him his faux pas.

Actually it hit him, he was profiting from the same forgiving soul that had lead her to always forgive Nick.

Eric made a promise to try not to hurt her feelings again. With all the times she'd helped him out of trouble, she deserved better.

He grabbed the tray with the leftovers from their lunch, and she followed him to the break room.

Once there, they ran into Calleigh and Ryan. Ryan had opened the freezer and was already dragging the ice cream out.

Eric had written "Eric's ice cream, don't eat!" on top, but Ryan, not seeing that Eric and Natalia had entered the room, shrugged, and said:

"Hey Cal, there's ice cream here! Want some?"

Calleigh giggled.

"You might want to rethink that, buster!"

Ryan turned around, with the ice cream box still in his hands. At his disappointed look, Eric grinned:

"Let's just have ice cream altogether! Cal, why don't you see if Alexx is available?

Unfortunately H and Frank are out investigating, but I guess they won't mind us eating all the ice cream if we don't tell them huh?"

They all started laughing, and Alexx, who came walking in just in that moment, joined in.

Yes, and ice cream group date was just what they needed.

FIN


End file.
